[No Spoilers] Tips for speccing a mage in Inquisition to improve combat?

I'm on the easiest setting and it still feels like I'm just grinding away on damage sponge enemies. All I do now is cast chain lightning when there are multiple enemies in a group (which seems to do little damage), and winter's grasp when there's one stronger enemy. I have flashfire too, but that barely seems like it does any damage, I just use it if there's an enemy in my face to panic them and usually make them ignore me. And I have fade step for dodging.

I'm at level ~11 I think with about 5 extra skill points because I've been waiting to figure out how to use them. I got the arching surge upgrade and still don't feel like I'm doing much.

So are there any skills to aim for that actually make you feel like you're helping in battle rather than chipping away tiny damage numbers, or are mages just meant to be a support class? I still have the same starting party with the other mage filling out most of the spirit tree but with one damage ability from each other element. And yes, I've been upgrading my staff and shoot things while I'm regenerating mana.

Pick up Energy Barrage and its improvement (Energy Bombardment), and bring a second mage in your party with the same elemental damage type on their staff and Energy Bombardment setup. Also grab Gathering Storm and Clean Burn so you can dunk out E Bombardment more often.

If you really want to make combat easier become Arcane Warrior. Or the spec is something along those lines. I haven't played Inquisition in awhile. Then get the blade of tidarion. It is basically a great sword with no blade for mages. Use whatever element you've focused on. Get some AOE spells, and barrier spells. If you keep dying or damaged really bad. Try and get silver it for heavy armor. Then you can make it so it doesn't have class restriction. If you can make sure the armor has guard on hit. Then basically you would become insanely over powered. I wouldn't rely to heavily on my advice since I mostly play warrior.

Cool thanks. Do you get the option to spec into subclasses by leveling up, or just following the main plot? And I'm not really dying or getting badly injured, combat just sort of makes me feel like I'm not doing anything.

Only class in inquisition that felt like it could really dish out appreciable damage is twin blades rogue.

Damage sponges is just part of the game's design (unfortunately).

That being said, the upgraded energy barrage skill that lowers elemental resistance is quite good, and the upgrade to chain lightning that increases damage but reduces strikes also worked well for me. Any passive skill or equipment that reduces cooldown times is useful as well.

I chose knight enchanter as my specialization and specced spirit blade to build charge quickly and discharge it on the first hit, as well as to autogenerate barriers for my character as I dealt damage (which doesn't become useful until the mid-game).

General strategy was to strike groups with chain lightning, individuals with energy barrage, and then wade in and hit survivors with overcharged spirit blade. If you have fade step specced to chill enemies, you can use that to extract yourself from melee and repeat for a hit-and-run specialist.

Ok first of all use winter's grasp to freeze the first enemy that'll try to come at you. (also set your tank to tank that guy, or the tough guy in the back about to come up), then when you have too many people around you use mind blast, and use pool of the abyss (you or Solas) to drag enemies all in one spot, while they're being dragged and can't fight you throw in a nice damage spell (they aren't that many great ones in inquisition but yeah), maybe something electric or the like, me I like those fire explosion ones, that way you incapacitate them and destroy them.

Otherwise spec into the passive skills of your most used elemental spells, create masterwork staves, add runes (enchantment!) and the like. Honestly by level 11 it's really easy to handle enemies on the normal level, so if you explore a little and do area main quests you should really be fine.

Fire Mine and Crushing Prison work well. Cone of cold combo with Stonefist. Fire Mine upgraded works great on melee enemies running at you. You can even cast it in front and run to the side and they run through 2 or 3 of them. I think it's like 1600 hitpoints each mine.

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